If you are reading this, you will probably be glad to know that “10,000 photographs” represents just the start for me…I probably passed that milestone years ago and now continue to output this quantity every few months between personal and professional projects.

Looking at my first roll of developed negatives in my “bathroom” darkroom nearly 40 years ago, one could say I was “hooked”…today, “immersed” is more accurate. Before one presses the shutter, a tremendous amount of thought and planning typically goes into “making the photo” as opposed to “taking the photo.” I’ve enjoyed every step of this learning journey.Some professors said very kind things while others offered constructive criticism which often contributed to more rapid improvement.

So, frequently, I will revisit a theme or object many times and definitely see an improvement. My floral botanicals today are composed, lit and focused better than they were let’s say ten years ago. And, once you know the subject, it is easier to show the qualities which make it unique. The passion flower, below, never ceases to attract and challenge me because although it appears to be a fairly uniform, complex yet distinct and colorful flower, the depth of the blossom presents numerous photographic challenges particularly when shooting macro with limited depth of field.